Dynamic Forms versus page-layout record detail
Key Takeaway
The Record Detail component shows fields from the page layout, so you change them in the page layout editor and assign both a Lightning page and a page layout. Dynamic Forms lets you place, show, and hide fields in the Lightning App Builder, and you assign only the Lightning page.
A Lightning record page can show a record's fields in two ways. The Record Detail component pulls every field from the object's page layout as one fixed block. Dynamic Forms turns those fields and sections into separate components that you place, show, and hide directly in the Lightning App Builder. Knowing which one a page uses tells you which tool to open and what you can change.
Which tool to open
In Salesforce Classic, the page layout editor is the right tool, because the Lightning App Builder can customize only Lightning record pages. In Lightning Experience, the right tool depends on how the record page delivers its fields.
| Page with the Record Detail component | Dynamic Forms page | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the fields come from | The object's page layout, in one big block | The record details, broken into individual Field and Field Section components in the Lightning App Builder |
| Changing which fields appear and where they sit | The page layout editor is the only way | You manage the components in the Lightning App Builder, without touching the page layout editor |
| Assignment model | Dual assignment model: you assign both a Lightning page and a page layout | Single assignment model: you assign only the Lightning page |